As of Thursday, May 18, Saskatchewan provincial parks are open for the season and staff at Pike Lake have been busy preparing for the long weekend.

“This is the big day of the year for parks. We work hard for two or three weeks after frost comes out of the ground to prepare for the influx of campers and day users in the park,” Pike Lake park manager Craig Krogan, said.

As of opening morning, the park is 95 per cent booked for the long weekend, with the remaining five per cent expected to be filled by walk-ups.

“There’s about 220 camp sites in the park. Last year on this weekend we had 800 people registered to camp and another 750 vehicles for day use,” Krogan added.

While the park manager doesn’t expect the check-in rush to happen until Friday, many seasonal campers have come early to set up RVs. It’s a bit of a reunion for many who’ve been coming to Pike Lake for years.